(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino criticized a judge on Friday for ordering house arrest for“one of Panama's biggest drug traffickers.” He again accused judicial officials of laxity and insisted on the need for changes to the penal code. “The effort we are making to clean up the country is incompatible with the decisions of judges,” he said. He asserted that putting a gang leader under house arrest“is not justice.” The statements were made at a public event, according to the President's office. Mulino asked the other branches of government to support him. He requested harsher penalties for those who have harmed the country. Eight people were arrested Wednesday during Operation“Nodriza” by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Police.

On Thursday, they were charged with drug trafficking. Two of them also faced charges of leading the organization. At the hearing, measures were imposed, including house arrest, reporting twice a month, and weekly check-ins. According to local press reports, Judge Josefa Monfante approved house arrest for César Caicedo. The defendant suffers from a heart condition that requires specialized medical attention. “Stop being lenient with the most heinous criminals,” Mulino said. He asserted that drug trafficking affects public health. He reminded everyone that he had been Minister of Security. He described what happened with the court in the 'Nodriza' case as“absolute negligence.” He added that he didn't want to“think about other things” that might have motivated the decision.

The government, he added, is doing its part in the fight against crime. It seizes drugs, dismantles gangs, and files corruption charges. He said he was confident that the National Assembly would be key in the transformation of the judicial system. He called for an independent, committed, and effective justice system. He asserted that he hopes“traffickers, rapists, and degenerates” will face the full force of the law. This is not the first time Mulino has criticized the judges of guarantees. He claims that excessive“guaranteeism” in the SPA (Special Criminal Procedure System) allows for abuses. He asserts that these decisions undermine the fight against organized crime. On November 20, he announced that he would push for an anti-mafia law. He will seek advice from the US, France, and Italy to do so. He said he hopes to replace“all the garbage we have right now.”

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